leafy

Keeping and breeding kangaroos is definitely not for everyone. Kangaroos need plenty of room to run and graze. Roos are not house pets, they don’t ride in cars, walk on leashes or do tricks. They are shy and easily stressed in strange situations. Bottle-reared joeys become very tame. Having tame animals is beneficial from a number of perspectives. They are more enjoyable as a hobby farm pet and if you need to handle them for any reason it’s a lot easier and less stressful for all concerned. Roo mums don’t get overly stressed when a joey is taken away. In the wild, they often “toss” their joey if they are being pursued by a predator. This allows the female to escape and live to breed another day. And due to their ability to replace a baby very quickly this only makes sense from a survival perspective. They are not inclined to grieve and search for their young like some animals. Most female roos go right back to grazing after a joey is taken. If they do look around, they don’t do it for very long. A newly “pulled” joey is taken into the house and placed in a warmed soft cloth pouch. For the next few hours someone sits quietly and holds the joey in their lap. Very quickly, the joey becomes curious about what’s going on and starts to peak out and look around. A joey in the house when it is little is delightful. This is only a temporary situation. While the joey is on a purely liquid diet, it will be very easy to keep in the house. Most of joeys will not soil their pouch. They prefer to wait until they are taken to the washroom. Obviously, this needs to be done every few hours during the day to avoid accidents and it should certainly be done before they are let to run around and exercise. To “potty” a roo, we hold it over the toilet and gently rub the cloacal area at the base of the tail. The roo will promptly do its business in the toilet. We then let the baby exercise for a while under close supervision. The joey might go on a “roo run” around the house for a while and then find the next best place to a pouch to take a nap. A roo in the house will get into everything. Once it starts eating solid food, potty training goes right down the tubes too. At this stage, we can’t wait to get it out of the house. NOT a house pet. Source: kangaroocreekfarm.com/keeping-and-breeding-kangaroos/

The Australian boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) is related to the Madagascan and African baobabs. It’s sometimes called a bottle tree, and it does look similar to the Queensland bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris) though it’s no relation. A mature boab tree is a majestic sight. Though it doesn't grow exceptionally tall, just up to 15 metres, the trees appear huge because of their swollen trunks. These can reach 20 metres in diameter. They are slow-growing and long-lived so that many of those around Broome and the Kimberly, and from Darwin to Katherine, were mature long before white settlers first marvelled at their majesty. Source: www.gardenclinic.com.au/how-to-grow-article/baob-tree

Many of us take photographs. Some of us would like to think our shots are still around in 100 years. However, even a surviving image looses its meaning as time goes on.

longreach And then take on new meanings to new audiences as the years go by!

Every photograph seems to hide a story. Some of these stories will never be discovered. The father and his daughter in this photo seem to have some kind of sad expression on their faces, though covered with a smile and a glimpse of happiness because of having that little cuddly dog.